Staging Khan Market

Delhi hotspot Khan Market plays a key role in Bollywood actor Saurabh Shukla’s latest play, Red Hot. The story of a Delhi restaurateur, who meets three young women at his buzzing South Delhi joint, the play is an adaptation of playwright Neil Simon’s 1970’s hit play Last of the Red Hot Lovers. Presented by city-based production company Stage Fry, in association with Hindustan Times and hosted by Ateleir Theatre Group, the play is on for three days at Kamani Auditorium.

Best known as Kallu Mama from the 1997 Bollywood film Satya, Shukla, is performing on stage after 18 years. He plays Parminder Singh Sethi, a 40-year-old facing a mid-life crisis. “The play is originally based in New York but I have adapted it to Delhi. We chose Khan Market as it’s an upmarket place and it could very well relate to Manhattan which was in the original script.”

As the play progresses you will see Parminder’s encounters with three different women from Delhi. The first is a high society rich lady in her late 20s, a regular visitor to his restaurant. The second as Shukla mentions is a “wannabe model and actor who wants to make it big in Bollywood and is full of gossip.” Parminder’s experience with her is rather strange. “He feels extremely alone with this girl, who, at one point, claims to be a schizophrenic.” Amidst this phase, he decides to have an affair with his wife’s best friend, Savita Prasann, the third lady and what happens next is something to watch out for. “I’m excited and hope to get a good response from Delhi-ites,” says Shukla.